• Farmers produced almost entirely for their families.
• A high percentage of Concordians were farmers.
1800-1850
• Boston was growing quickly as a city.
• The railroad came to Concord.
• Irish and other immigrants began coming to Concord.
• Farmers increasingly produced for the expanding market and less for family.
• Family cows grew into herds.
• Horses replaced oxen
• Farmers began supplying milk, butter, wood, and vegetables to Boston.
• The Farmers Club brought farmers together to discuss new farming techniques.
1850-1900
• Area canals opened other new markets.
• New science increased production.
• Middlesex County, which included Concord, had the greatest per acre production of any county in the United States.
• Middlesex County ranked second in the country in the value of its vegetable crops.
• Forests became hay fields.
• Farmers experimented with new varieties of fruit and raised more cattle.
• The introduction of strong steel led to better tools and heavier machinery.
• By 1900, farm machinery included better plows, disk harrows, seed planters, cultivators, potato diggers and manure spreaders.
• Asparagus and strawberry production exploded. Concord was “the asparagus capital of the “Gilded Age.”
• Commercial milk production greatly expanded.
• The first glass green house was built.
• Ice was farmed from the rivers and ponds to chill the milk for shipping.
• Concord farmers were very technical about soil fertility.
1900-present
• The efficiency and productivity of agribusiness has undermined the viability of the family farm.
• Modern transportation has made it possible for fresh produce from around the country and the world to compete with local farms.
• Many young people have not wanted to work the family farm.
• Farm land has been sold to home and industrial developers as the population grew.
• Current farmers have modified their products and services to meet the demands of local customers and specialized urban markets.
Concord Farm History Timeline
1635-1800
• Farmers produced almost entirely for their families.
• A high percentage of Concordians were farmers.
1800-1850
• Boston was growing quickly as a city.
• The railroad came to Concord.
• Irish and other immigrants began coming to Concord.
• Farmers increasingly produced for the expanding market and less for family.
• Family cows grew into herds.
• Horses replaced oxen
• Farmers began supplying milk, butter, wood, and vegetables to Boston.
• The Farmers Club brought farmers together to discuss new farming techniques.
1850-1900
• Area canals opened other new markets.
• New science increased production.
• Middlesex County, which included Concord, had the greatest per acre production of any county in the United States.
• Middlesex County ranked second in the country in the value of its vegetable crops.
• Forests became hay fields.
• Farmers experimented with new varieties of fruit and raised more cattle.
• The introduction of strong steel led to better tools and heavier machinery.
• By 1900, farm machinery included better plows, disk harrows, seed planters, cultivators, potato diggers and manure spreaders.
• Asparagus and strawberry production exploded. Concord was “the asparagus capital of the “Gilded Age.”
• Commercial milk production greatly expanded.
• The first glass green house was built.
• Ice was farmed from the rivers and ponds to chill the milk for shipping.
• Concord farmers were very technical about soil fertility.
1900-present
• The efficiency and productivity of agribusiness has undermined the viability of the family farm.
• Modern transportation has made it possible for fresh produce from around the country and the world to compete with local farms.
• Many young people have not wanted to work the family farm.
• Farm land has been sold to home and industrial developers as the population grew.
• Current farmers have modified their products and services to meet the demands of local customers and specialized urban markets.